Tire Concerns!

[wdk450]

I have had good service (including a round trip from California to the Goshen , Indiana national rally) on Geostar ST 285-80R LRG tires. They should cost much less than the Goodyears, and I haven't heard any complaints about them on the web. You may have to do a websearch, or ask tire shops to order them, to get them, though.

I had the tires all balanced before mounting, and have had my wheels aligned (actually axles bent into alignment) by a professional truck alignment shop.

 

[JohnD]

Heres the deal, If you buy off the lot you will get "blowmax" tires except on the Landmarks, it's standard equipment. If you order a coach, you can get the G614's. Buying a RV is not any different than buying anything else. Want better stuff, ya gotta ask and pay for it.

This is true . . . however . . .

When we first saw our Trail Runner on a dealer's lot, the Heartland Trail Runner brochure that was given to us by that dealership said "We don't even skimp on the tires!".

And their website stated the same thing.

We bought the Trail Runner four months later . . .

Of course, I didn't find out about the 'BlowMax' issue until months after we made the purchase.

And it was here at this forum that I found this out!

We still have the BlowMax tires on the trailer . . . but will be swapping them out this year for a new set of five!

 

[pegmikef]

Heres the deal, If you buy off the lot you will get "blowmax" tires except on the Landmarks, it's standard equipment. If you order a coach, you can get the G614's. Buying a RV is not any different than buying anything else. Want better stuff, ya gotta ask and pay for it.

. . . and dependent on the dealer, the option price of 2k plus stated as the msrp for the 614s is negotiable and they provide the correct rims and a spare. My dealer charged me 1,295 for that option. I don't know if that was his cost or he made it up on something else. He listed for me the price of what he was charging me for the basic unit and each of the options I ordered. The lower cost options were fairly close to the msrp, but there was a greater reduction in the higher cost ones. . . just sayin

 

[porthole]

Goodyear may not be perfect, but as Niles pointed out, they sure do seem to care about making things right.

Do we know of anyone that had issues with a Goodyear tire failure that caused damage and were not satisfied with Goodyear's response?
Do we have any threads with GY 614 or 114 tire issues on the forum? Not the occasional blowout issue, threads such as all the towmaxx threads?

Are there any owners that have said Gee, I wish I didn't spend that extra money on these overpriced GY's?

Georgia Biker - how many spokes on your rims? Non scientific method for a quick check. 5 spokes are almost always 80PSI rated. 8 spokes usually are 110 psi rated.

If you want to upgrade to the better GY 614 and you currently only have 80 psi rims, that requires buying new rims at approximately $250 each.

If that is your issue I would suggest you also look at the GY 17.5" 114 tire. They are even better then the 614's.

Trailertireandwheel.com will get you good pricing and delivery if needed.

- I know I keep bringing up Scott and his company, http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/, but excellent customer service and fair pricing deserves the attention.

And NO, i do not get anything for my endorsement.

 

[JohnD]

Goodyear may not be perfect, but as Niles pointed out, they sure do seem to care about making things right.

I've only ever owned one set (five) of Goodyear tires in my entire life . . . they (Goodyear Wrangler II off-road tires) were on my Ford Bronco II 4X4 when I bought it new in the mid-80's.

While I admit that they were great tires . . . I have to say that I've never had more flats on any vehicle I've ever owned since my first car in 1977.

Seems that anytime those tires saw a nail or a pebble in the road . . . I'd get a flat tire!

Didn't matter whether or not I actually hit that nail or pebble . . .

I'll tell you what, though . . . there is nobody out there that knows how to change a flat tire on a Ford Bronco II better than I do!

I had lots of practice.

After about 20,000 miles . . . I dumped those tires for some Montgomery Ward's standard Road Radials . . . and I never had one single flat with those for the rest of the time I owned that truck (another 30,000 miles)!

 

[porthole]

I've only ever owned one set (five) of Goodyear tires in my entire life . . . they (Goodyear Wrangler II off-road tires) were on my Ford Bronco II 4X4 when I bought it new in the mid-80's.
While I admit that they were great tires . . . I have to say that I've never had more flats on any vehicle I've ever owned since my first car in 1977.
Seems that anytime those tires saw a nail or a pebble in the road . . . I'd get a flat tire!
Didn't matter whether or not I actually hit that nail or pebble . . .
I'll tell you what, though . . . there is nobody out there that knows how to change a flat tire on a Ford Bronco II better than I do!
I had lots of practice.
After about 20,000 miles . . . I dumped those tires for some Montgomery Ward's standard Road Radials . . . and I never had one single flat with those for the rest of the time I owned that truck (another 30,000 miles)!

I'll qualify my comment with my experience as to Goodyear G614 and Goodyear 114 only on trailers.

That said. From 1974 when I got my license until I bought my F-350 in December 2010, I had never had a flat tire or blowout on the road, never. I am sure I must have at one time or another came outside to a flat or low pressure, just don't remember.

That all changed with my F-350. My first flat was on the way home from the dealer. I have had 2 flat since then. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the tire brand, BF. Just the luck of the draw.

I did have an tire issue with my towmaxx tires several years ago, but was fortunate enough to a) have a floor sweeper at Lippert point it out to me ($20 tip for that tip), and b) a newly installed TST TPMS to alert me to an impending failure.

I'll stick with my GY preference.

BTW, I have had Wranglers on my very first 4WD pickup and a CJ-7 I once had. Had good luck with both vehicles.

 

[JohnD]

I'll stick with my GY preference.

BTW, I have had Wranglers on my very first 4WD pickup and a CJ-7 I once had. Had good luck with both vehicles.

Thanks for the reply.

While I was sitting here I decided to count how many times I had to change a flat tire with those Goodyear Wrangler II's . . .

Seven times in 20,000 miles (3-years).

 

[Georgia_Biker]

Re: Do I have the right rims for Good Year G614 RST Tires

I went to check on my Big Horn which is in the body shop for repair. Looking at 2 - 3 weeks depending on how fast they can get parts from Heartland. The rims are 110 PSI ! Yea!

Have ordered the Good Year G614 tires. Taking the rig directly to Kaufmann Tire and they will mount and balance the set for $1400.

What an experience this has been. Shame on the RV industry for harboring TOWMAX Blowouts - it's always about the money. I would have gladly paid the difference up front for the tire upgrade.

Thanks to the Heartland Community!

 

[TravelTiger]

Re: Do I have the right rims for Good Year G614 RST Tires

it's always about the money. I would have gladly paid the difference up front for the tire upgrade.

That's the thing, it is about the money. People make decisions to buy an RV based on the money, too. So I am sure many first-time buyers get caught up in the "eye-candy, and don't realize the other "sacrifices" that are made to make a coach fit into a specific price-range. The quality of the OEM tires are not something auto drivers are concerned about, so why would they look at the RV tires any differently? A first-time buyer might have this scenario: Seeing "tire upgrade" on the features list, and a higher price-tag attached, they might say, "Gee, I don't need upgraded tires." and move on to a more affordable rig.

Personally, I feel making a change and pointing it out as a safety feature is a smart thing for the Manufacturer. But I would bet that "sacrifices" will have to be made in other areas to absorb the cost.

 

[caissiel]

Did over 1000 miles the last 3 days along route 66 on HWs 40 and 44.
Seen many tandum trailers hauling all kinds of stuff. Mostly horse and stock trailers. The only ones on the side of the road changing tires were ones with ST tires.
There are still plenty of ST tires being used and loaded heavy.
So I do not blame the trailer companies to use the inferior STs.
But my experience with heavy trailers and talking to other haulers the heavier LT tire is the solution. Much more economical and practical.
When I replaced my STs it was 1/2 the cost to replace them on sale price and they lasted more the 3 1/2 times longer. No brainner it was a 7 to 1 proposition.

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[mobilcastle]

I am running these and they are excellent. They also will not drain your wallet.http://simpletire.com/telstar-235-8...m_term=80504&gclid=CP3A9pOvir0CFeZDMgodoBsA0w

 

[Cjackg]

I am running these and they are excellent. They also will not drain your wallet.http://simpletire.com/telstar-235-8...m_term=80504&gclid=CP3A9pOvir0CFeZDMgodoBsA0w

What is the Speed Rating on those and where are they Mfg ?

I see they also make a 17.5"....

 

[mobilcastle]

I am not sure of speed rating-I run 60 to 65 most of the time and if you go to RV.net and do a search you will get all the info. Many are running these tires. I have never read about a blowout yet. I say each to his own. Many like Goodyear-if you like Goodyear pay the price and put them on. I have read about a lot of Goodyear blowouts. I really like these tires-they are built for trailers. I will buy these again in a minute. I have no affiliation with these tires or company other than a consumer.Good luck

 

[porthole]

I have read about a lot of Goodyear blowouts.

You have read a lot about GY G614's and 114's blowing out?

 

[caissiel]

The Sailun tires from Simple tires mentioned above, are my next tires for sure. They are the European standard for trucks and trailers. These tires are also sold in semi sizes and I see them on heavy trailers all over.
They replaced the Freestars that I now have on my unit that are getting old.

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[guyc66]

What is the Speed Rating on those and where are they Mfg ?

I see they also make a 17.5"....

From what I could find online these tires have an L-speed rating which is 75MPH.

 

[mobilcastle]

Porthole
Go to rv.net and search for Goodyear blowouts. G 's that are comparible to Sailon 637 in size-Goodyear has repaired a lot of rigs-personally I don' t want my rig in the shop! Hope that helps answer your question.


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[porthole]

Porthole
Go to rv.net and search for Goodyear blowouts. G 's that are comparible to Sailon 637 in size-Goodyear has repaired a lot of rigs-personally I don' t want my rig in the shop! Hope that helps answer your question.


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Doesn't help at all. Starting with RV.net.

Without going over there to search, the tires in question are probably their cheaper imported tires. Cheap, imported inferior tires have the same rep whatever brand is on the side. What matters is how the company handles failures.

If you are going to spend the money on Goodyear, there are only two models to consider, the G114 and G614. They are the USA made quality trailer tires.

If for you and your research it is the tire you listed above, I'd say go for it and then we get one other tire choice on this forum to compare.
If the tack record stands up I'm sure it will help all future tire purchasers, including me.

And where are those tires made?

 

[SeattleLion]

I've been reading all these tire threads. I think there are a few things we should consider before making a lot of sweeping statements.

What we know:

• Heartland and others put Tow Max tires on almost all of their trailers. Only Landmark gets differerent ones. It is at least 90%.
• Virtually all the complaints on this forum are about Tow Max.

Based on just these two facts it is easy to understand that it is completely normal for the kind of complaints we see here. Here are some more:

• There are many thousands of Heartland and other products on the road driving on Tow Max tires.
• Most, a vast majority, of those Tow Max tires don't fail. I know that because a large number of failures would attract a lot of press attention.
• A very tiny percentage of RV owners read this and the other RV forums.
• Only a tiny percent of forum readers contribute and the ones who do, often want to vent problems.

My point is that no matter how many closely reasoned arguments I read here about Tow Max tires and how dangerous they are, the overwhelming evidence is that they perform well for the vast majority of RV owners who have them.

That doesn't negate the experiences of people who contribute here. But these experiences don't actually prove that Tow Max is dangerous or even more likely to fail.

Having said that, we have gotten some very good advice:

• Always maintain proper inflation pressure.
• Don't overload the trailer
• Drive under the 65 mph rated max speed for ST tires.

I don't question that some people have failures with Tow Max. Many may in fact be due to the quality of the tire. We know that Tow Max tires are less expensive than higher load rated Goodyears, but isn't that expected? A G rated tire should cost more.

For me it comes down to the fact that replacing my Tow Max tires would cost $1,400. That's a lot of money. I know that if I go to the G-rated Goodyears I buy some additional capacity which should make the tire run cooler and be less likely to fail. But aside from that additional margin, am I really endangering my wife and I and the expensive Bighorn by staying with the factory tires?

People on forums do tend to have strong opinions and they do tend to "rally" around various hot buttons. It's just human nature. People on forums also love to share the things they have done to improve their experiences. I like that a lot. But the few people on this forum who post about tires are not a representative sample of Heartland owners. It might be a good idea to take a step back and consider whether the Tow Max quality discussion hasn't gotten a bit out of hand. There are an awful lot of them out there that seem to serve their owners very well.

Just sayn'

 

[Cjackg]

..............And where are those tires made?

I just called the vendor, SimpleTire.com, and they have both the 16" and 17.5" S637 Sailun tires on hand. They do not sell wheels, only tires.
They said the tires are made in China.